


One Good Turn

by GoodtimeGambler



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-07-30 14:53:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20099008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodtimeGambler/pseuds/GoodtimeGambler
Summary: One good turn deserves another. Dae and Bea, two strangers with no memory, are the first turn.





	1. The Twisting Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How many letters does it take to end a life? How many breaths? How many words?

The first thing he could feel was the hot sun on his skin, warming his dark clothes until they felt like molten metal. 

“What do you think we should do? He’s out cold.” A small voice rang in his ears as the sounds of the world at large came back. He shifted, uncomfortable because of the rough surface digging into his back. “Wait, he’s awake!”

A pair of grey eyes opened, and blinked hesitantly in the light at two people standing near. With the sun behind them, they were barely more than dark silhouettes.

“You shouldn’t be napping on the ground, there are lots of better places for it.” The speaking figure, masculine, offered his hand to help up the sleepy one, and it was taken. The stranger hauled up off the ground their new acquaintance, promptly steadying him.

“I wasn’t napping.” drowsy still, he took a step back from the strange pair and searched his surroundings. They were unfamiliar. Everything was bright and blooming, green grass and yellow flowers. “Where is this?”

Yellow like blond hair.

“This is Yillese, the Halidom, we’re south of the nearest town.” The girl of the pair took a hesitant pace toward him, “I’m Lissa, what’s your name?”

He stood his ground at Lissa’s advance, “I’m...” his eyes widened, confused as he visually searched his own person, “I’m not sure.”

“Chrom, I’ve heard of this! It’s called amnesia; people forget everything about themselves.” Lissa grabbed her male companion’s hand and dragged him slightly forward.

“Calm yourself Lissa, he speaks nonsense,” the unknown man whirled around to see a knight on horseback, spear laid across his lap. “No doubt a Plegian spy, and quite the actor.”

“Hold, Frederick. He may speak true. What kind of Shepherd leaves a sheep to the wolves? There are bandits around this area.” Chrom turned to the stranger, “You could have had a rude awakening.”

“I...I could have handled it.” The stranger didn’t sound sure of himself. He patted down his person, coming up with a belt knife quickly, “I’ve got a weapon.”

“Oh-ho, you call a whittling knife a weapon? We have not only an actor, but a comedian too.” The mounted man, Frederick, sounded quite bitter in his interjection, but was quick to proceed. “Milord, we should move on.”

The unknown man attempted to sidle out of the trifecta of new people, managing to finally see them all properly at a different angle from the sun.

Lissa who was, short, expressive, and in yellow garb; a healing stave was slung across her back. Chrom, a young man with Midnight blue clothing and silver armor, not to mention a sword on his hip. Frederick, mounted and in a lighter version of Chrom’s same coloring; his armor was impressive to say the least.

“If you know nothing of yourself, you’ll come with us,” Chrom nodded to himself, “Perhaps someone in a town nearby will know you. I can’t imagine you came from very far away.” He made a gesture amounting to ‘come on’ with his hand, and smiled encouragingly.

“Wait, what if I’d like to go my own way?” He glanced at the armored Knight, and focused on the distant treeline at the edge of his vision. Horses were bad in close quarters, the trouble was getting into close quarters. Could he avoid being injured long enough to get there?

“Frederick! You’ve scared him,” Lissa frowned at her armored companion, she turned back to the stranger, “We know the way to town, and that big meanie won’t do anything to you. Just...try to have a little trust, okay?” She held out her hand for him to take.

The stranger was aware that it could be a trap. Though, if it was, why wait this long to kill him?

He took her hand.

His sleeve’s fabric rolled up slightly in the motion, revealing, only for a moment, lines of white linen.

Lissa pulled him closer, “Are you hurt under your sleeves? I’m a healer.” She pushed up his sleeve, and the stranger jumped at her forward actions. Chrom stepped forward to look.

“I don’t know, it can’t be too bad, I don’t feel anything...” He frowned and scrabbled at his own wrappings, revealing dark lines, bruises, stitches, and healing cuts.

“Where could you have gotten these? Just who are you?” A hand ran through blue hair, Chrom sighed, but continued, “We can deal with those in town if you aren't in pain. We won’t be there by nightfall at this rate.”

The stranger was quick to snatch his arm away from the young healer, “I don’t want to hold you up, I’ll keep pace.”

With that, Frederick and Chrom led their quartet back to the road, and along it for a few miles. Their speech was minimal, and the stranger stewed in his own thoughts. He was thinking about the only true question he had been asked: what was his name? It had something to do with morning or noon, the bright sun...

“Dae! My name is Dae.” He startled the other members of his party by blurting it out as soon as he thought of it. The name clicked, it felt right, it was his.

“Ah, at least one mystery solved, then.” Chrom dropped back to Dae’s side. “I didn’t take the time to properly introduce all of us. I’m Chrom, leader of the Shepherds. These two are Lissa, my delicate little sister, and Frederick the Wary.”

“Delicate my left boot! I’ve been roughing it with you and Frederick for days, and healers training isn’t delicate.” Lissa sounded perturbed, but almost jokingly.

“I know Lissa, and you have my thanks for traveling with us. I’m proud that you want to be a Shepherd.” Chrom smiled at his sister, and he patted her shoulder. Lissa smiled at him, and her step seemed lighter, and more vigorous than before. Her expression was of warmth and kindness.

Dae spoke quietly, “You’re very well armored for tending animals.”

“As we’ve said, there are bandits in this part of the Halidom. They’re sent by our neighbor to incite a war.” Frederick’s horse clipped along quietly on the dirt road, but the serious tone of his words made the atmosphere heavier.

“Ah, you thought I was from...Plague-something, didn’t you?” Dae asked, the full name of the country escaping his mind.

“Plagia,” Lissa provided, “we have some bad history, but things are different now. They don’t seem to understand that we’ve changed.”

Dae dropped a bit further back and shed his coat, tying the sleeves around his hips and bunching up the fabric in a way that prevented the long hem from dragging. He inspected himself, looking on as though this weren’t his body, but a stranger’s. His sleeves were nonexistent, and white linen bandages wound almost all the way up to his shoulders. What Dae could see down his own shirt collar revealed bruises, scars from stitches, and various other markings. Apparently, he’d led a life of hardship. The only odd thing in his sight was several various lines and shapes, marked in black on his skin. 

Other than those, he found a sword at his own hip, short and light, formerly covered by his overcoat. Two books hung on his belt, and he’d wondered before what they were. They were thick, and clearly old. Leather covers and worn pages told the tale of ancient, well kept tomes. And a small pack, slung low on his back.

“Milord, smoke in the distance.” Frederick sounded alarmed, the town, which was in sight before, was starting to plume great clouds of black smoke from inside.

“Dae! Stay here, we’ll deal wi-” Chrom felt a breeze move past him, and Dae was off, gone from his side. His coat was drawn back over his shoulders as he shoved his arms into the sleeves.

The man in question had a whirling mind, and panic in his chest. He didn’t know why, but his own hands had instinctively ripped a tome from it’s place at his side. It’s cover was dyed turquoise leather with emerald accented depictions, and his mind flew through the pages faster than his hands could; giving his mouth words of a long forgotten incantation to speak. They made his step light, and put a gale at his back. Every step felt like a three meter long jump, and he was at the town gate before even Frederick on his steed.

Another word hissed forth from his mind, another spell. This time it was for the collapsing town gate. Frederick would not be able to pick through it on his horse, and Dae knew that the townspeople would need more help than he alone could provide. The word clawed its way out of his throat with a vengeance and heated, raw sting to blow aside the debris.

His first look upon the town set dread in his heart that he knew had been felt before. But that was with another person beside him.

Curly hair. The presence of strength.

“The houses are aflame!” Dae took only a moment to scream this back to his company members before charging forward. There were armed bandits scattered about breaking open doors, and dragging clattering bags of wares away from stalls.

The nearest one was unlucky; Dae charged for them first. He let loose no battle cry, no words of magic or anger, but drew his sword. Before the bandit he'd charged could truly react, a blade had torn through his neck, and blood sprayed. Dae moved on, the bandit would perish in less than minutes with too much panic at impending death to do anything but flail helplessly. 

The next opponent had seen the fate of his constituent, and readied his axe. He took a mighty swing at Dae...

A mistimed swing. There was a lunge, and another sword in a bandit’s neck, this time through his throat before being dragged out the side. Dae had no time for overgrown children with weapons, people’s homes were burning. He passed bandits in his rush, killing whoever was not too far out of his path with a sword and speed alone. At one point his blade became stuck still in a man. It was released without a care. Dae could hear Chrom and Frederick conversing over the din of battle, they seemed to be a mile away through the noise and clashing. Though, when he looked, they were using the path he carved through the enemies, and cleaning up behind him. Excellent. There would be little chance to be backstabbed. The remnants of the town guard were being moved to fight harder by the efforts of rhe new arrivals. Dae had barely noticed the vaguely armed and armored people fighting with more skill than the average farmhand. There were so few of them.

There was a scream. Dae turned. A baker and her husband. She was being dragged away, kicking, fighting, while her husband was backing away from a bandit, holding a very old looking sabre in his defense. Dae could see his eyes flashing from the opponent at hand and his wife.

Blood roared in Dae's ears.

A voice told him a word that he should never say again. A spell.

It left his lips in a whisper, dragging all the breath from his lungs out with it. 

The bandits’ heads snapped to him. Neither of their torsos were, in fact, facing his direction as the light left their eyes. The Baker screamed louder in terror as two bodies dropped to the ground, and her husband ran to her.

Dae turned and ran with what energy he could gather. One of his forearms burned, but he was sure he hadn’t been injured yet. He ignored it in favor of switching out his tome. Dae was in front of the burning houses now, and his throat formed noises with the aid of his lips that Dae himself didn’t think were possible to make, but his body proved otherwise. The page was long, filled with an incantation that he hadn’t used since learning it, but the book began to glimmer. Circles of runes began forming in front of him, ready to be activated. Dae held a palm out to the flaming structures, touching his fingertips to the circular spell's center, and yanked at the circle as if it were a rope. A gyser erupted from the ground. He knew there would be well water under the town. It curled around the base of innumerable flames, hissing into steam as it doused the smouldering heat. There were few buildings on fire, which was good, and they were all in a cluster he could reach, even better. Drenching wood, shingles, tile, and thatch alike was easy.

The townspeople who had formed a haphazard bucket line, trying to smother the flames, looked on in awe at the foreign magic. There would be minor damages from sloshing water, but it was better than losing everything.

“Look out!” A villager ran forward, but Dae was faster to turn. The water magic was released with the chant’s sudden end, and an axe-head shone in Dae’s vision as he looked death in the face. 

Curls. A bloody scream. Another lesson learned.

Dae lunged forward, inside the axe’s effective range. There was only one thing he could think of. The word. Breath ripped out of his lungs again, and the axeman jerked away, limbs contorting. Dae stood over him, panting shallow breaths as the would-be attacker writhed, alive, in agony. Joints turned the wrong way, the snapping of bones and sinew forming sickening music to the spellcaster’s ears.

Running footsteps came, and someone yelled “Dae!” even though the man was dazed, not paying attention. Weariness making his vision blurry.

Hands were on his shoulders, it was Chrom “Dae! Dae, stop! He’s had enough, Dae!” 

The crunching stopped.

Dae could breathe, and grasped Chrom’s shoulder for support. One of his forearms burned desperately. The white linen fabric of his bandages was letting off curls of smoke.

“Frederick!” Chrom called, “Take Dae to Lissa by the gate.”

The knight had no protest as he leaned over and hauled Dae up unto the saddle with him. The man himself tried to assist, but there was little need. It seemed Frederick was practiced at dragging people onto his mount.

“Dae, keep your eyes open,” Frederick instructed, his voice calm and reassuring.

More blond hair. Dark armor.  
A headband. A crown.  
Comfort. Pain.

Dae’s lungs drug air in and pushed it out as if it was viscous syrup, with great difficulty. He scrabbled more at the bandages on his left arm, the smoking ones, tearing them off as Frederick dismounted, dragging Dae down to the ground afterwards.

“Chrom,” Dae gasped, “What about Chrom?”

Frederick was already mounting his horse again, “Have no worry, I’m going back.” He was gone then, and Dae had a new person to worry after him. Lissa.

She ripped away the wrappings on his arms even faster than he could have, face tight. “Were you caught in a fire? I know you ran for the buildings.”

“No,” he wheezed.

Lissa stared at his arm in horror as the acrid smell of burning flesh rose. Black tattoos seared the skin around their edges, creating the smell and pain.

The markings made themselves clear to Dae, a spell inscription. The word he should never have said was written in his skin.

Lissa’s staff glowed, and her other hand gently traced the burning markings, leaving cool relief in their wake. Even the unknown bruising was fading under her magic.

Another dress, another set of pigtails, another girl with gentle hands and tender magic.

“Don’t exhaust yourself.” Dae warned, finally getting his breath back fully. Lissa’s magic seemed to take weight off of his lungs, and he could breathe again.

“I won’t.” Lissa sighed, concentrating on channeling her magic. She took the liberty of healing the worse bruises on the visible area of his arm. “Lets see the other arm, and the rest of this one. Tomorrow I want to see your legs, and back, and your chest. I can’t imagine what happened to you, but it looks bad.”

“Ah, don’t worry about anything but the arm. Save your energy, I bet there are injured townspeople.” Dae pulled away from her, looking at his damaged bandage. He had no extras. Instead, Dae pulled his long coat’s sleeve down again to cover himself.

“Dae! You can’t run from me.” Lissa protested, trying to yank at his hands and stop him.

“The townspeople, Lissa. Go.” Dae’s voice was almost angry, “They’ll need you.”

She frowned, but sprinted off. Dae flinched inside, had he scared her?

But now was his chance. The treeline wasn’t far, and something in his body knew he could hide there. He began to walk away. Chrom probably wouldn’t abide by his actions, by the way he could kill people. How could anyone? It was better to run now, and avoid conflict.

Halfway to the trees a familiar sound came from behind Dae. The galloping of a horse. One carrying an armored man.

Dae had already prepared his wind tome, and bounded away, as before, into the treeline. He stood at the edge to await the knight’s arrival. He hadn’t stopped his pursuit.

He yelled from several meters away, “Dae, travel with us further, to the capital.”

Dae edged forward, “You must think me far too dangerous after that display.”

“Quite,” Frederick frowned, “But my Lord thinks you did well, far too well to be a spy. When Lissa arrived alone he suspected you might leave.”

“Your Lord is an intelligent man, as are you,” Dae took in the scenery behind Frederick. A town in a minor state of ruin, smoke still fading in the blue sky, and a green field for some distance. It was almost pretty.

“On my honor as a knight, come speak with Milord and, if you so desire, you will go free afterward.” Frederick held his hand to his chest in some kind of salute, and Dae could accept such an oath.

Whispered promises of safety. A strong, engulfing embrace.

When Dae came out of the treeline with his tome closed, Frederick smiled. It hit Dae like a brick.

The same smile. Grey hair. Scars just like Dae’s. A father.

“Who are you?” Dae breathed.

“What was that?” Frederick questioned, he had turned to trot away, but twisted in the saddle to look at his companion.

Dae strode up to Frederick, “Can you smile again, please?”

“What?” Frederick’s eyebrows knitted together ever so slightly.

“Your smile reminded me of someone.” 

Frederick obliged, and copied his former expression. Nothing came to Dae’s mind. There was no glimpse of memory as before. 

He sighed, “Thank you, but I think it only works once.”

Frederick’s horse began to move forward, back toward the town, “Perhaps you’re foreign, like your name. You might be from another country, but we will still search. With every memory our chances increase.”

“I can only hope we find where I come from.”

"I can only hope that Milord's trust in you is not misplaced."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm rather proud of this first chapter! I like to write how Dae engages in combat, and his ruthless efficiency. Character playlists can be found with the character name, and the name of the story. Example: "X, One Good Turn" on YouTube.


	2. A Forest Fire Hymn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Risen are upon us, and the cracking of burning trees is the music of death.

Sitting at the Shepherd’s campfire that eve, Dae still wondered if he should have run. None of the three sitting around the blaze with him were an active threat, but still... The air felt different, like the thin, buzzing ozone of a mountain peak before a thunderstorm. Nobody else seemed to notice.

Other than  _ that _ , things were pleasant. Dae had recovered his sword, the town wasn’t as badly damaged as it could have been, and their group had made a decent distance before nightfall.

“This wouldn’t be so bad if there weren’t all these bugs!” Lissa complained, swatting at something so small that Dae couldn’t see it from his place next to her. 

_ The smell of lilies. _

Dae shuffled through the pack that he’d taken off earlier, looking for something on instinct alone. There were several tins of various creams, and he didn’t know what all of them were for, but a nagging in his mind said  _ search _ .

There it was, a large tin with a white lily and butterfly painted on the front. Upon opening the lid, the floral scent of the flower burst forth. “I think this is for bugs. Somebody...else used to complain about them too. I can’t remember enough.” Dae handed the tin to Lissa, “Insect repelling balm, I think. Just a bit will probably be enough.”

“It smells so nice, what's the scent?” She asked, putting some of the thick cream on her arms.

“Lily. As far as the flower on the top says, anyway.” Dae smiled gently at her, almost sadly, “Why don’t you pass it around.”

“My thanks, Dae.” Chrom, who had previously been laying back, sat up, “It may well keep the bugs at bay for the night. I’m tired of being bitten in my sleep.”

Frederick didn’t move a muscle, and Dae assumed that he was already asleep. Veteran soldiers like him had a talent for catching shut-eye whenever they could. It wasn’t too long before the rest of the group joined Frederick in sleep.

Sleep that was rudely interrupted by the smell of smoke and the shaking of earth beneath Dae’s body. His first thought was to roll off his back, not to get up. The only explanation he could think of for the shaking was thundering cavalry. Forget that there was no way they could be in such a densely packed forest, he could think of nothing else.

“Dae!” Frederick’s voice “Where are Chrom and Lissa?”

There was a moment of trying to speak, but Dae’s words were overwhelmed by the noise of splintering wood, falling trees. “I don’t know!” He tried to free his wind tome, that would surely help. He wouldn’t have to endure such rattling if he didn’t touch the ground.

Suddenly Frederick was beside him, “I need you to look for them, you’ll be faster among the trees with your magic. I’ll go to the end of the forest and look there for Milord and Milady.” Frederick freed the wind tome from Dae’s belt, and shoved it at him. "If I find that they were harmed because of you, _you_ _will die._"

Dae could only nod and open the book, sifting with difficulty through the pages for the right chant to lift himself off the ground. Frederick left him there, looking in the book for a spell. The knight’s horse ran with the speed of fear until Dae could no longer hear the frantic hoofbeats.

Once the spell was located, Dae considered lifting himself above the trees. The energy expended might be well worth it if he could gather a clue as to Chrom and Lissa’s whereabouts. As he rose, Dae noticed several things. The first was that fire was rapidly closing in on his position, it was a veritable wall of flame, and the second being a ritualistic gate in the sky. That had to be an  _ absurdly _ bad sign.

He darted for the gate, launching himself through the forest with speed that was slowly draining his strength. Even if Chrom and Lissa weren't anywhere near the gate, such a thing couldn't simply be left unchecked.

He heard Lissa and Chrom before he saw them, and set hovered just outside of the clearing they stood in. He was just in time. An unknown character was defending Lissa, and Chrom was just staring. Dae's mind went blank, and before a thought had the decency to fill it, he was hurtling toward the assailant. 

He hit them with enough force to throw them several meters away, and Dae disentangled himself from whoever it was just quickly enough to pull into a steep incline and avoid hitting the tree that his unfortunate opponent crashed into. Chrom had come to his senses, though, and was fast approaching their opponent to finish Dae's work.

“Lissa!” Dae’s yell was breathless as he arced toward her, the packed dirt beneath the people on the ground was still shaking slightly from the impact of far away falling trees. The unknown fighter stepped back to clear Lissa’s field of vision, and she stepped past. Dae dropped down beside her.

“You’re alright! Where’s Frederick?” Lissa latched onto his sleeve the second Dae was close enough, and didn’t let go.

“He’s waiting at the edge of the forest for us.” Dae looked at Chrom, who was in conversation with the stranger. “You two, come on! We have to get out of here.” The falling trees were closing in, as was the raging forest fire. Dae couldn’t put out a blaze this large, and flying them  _ all _ out would take up more energy than he was willing to give if there was more than just a forest fire in the way of danger.

“I’ll catch up!” Chrom called, and Dae wasn’t going to argue. A wind had started to blow, moving the flames ever faster in their direction.

If he wanted to burn alive, let him.

“Come along Lissa.” Dae took her hand and started to run. She tried to protest, but he drug her onward. If he had to, Dae would carry her out of the burning hellscape. The air was so thick with sweet smelling pine smoke that it was hard to see where, exactly, he was running, but Dae was certain of his direction. He slowed his run to swing Lissa up onto one of his shoulders, damn her protests. Her short legs and odd skirt were slowing her down. She, who had so kindly healed him, would  _ not _ suffer harm.

_ Brushing soft blond hair; carrying a tired, petite form to bed.   
_ _ Throwing a boy over his shoulder; his protests met with a hearty laugh. _

Once at the edge he began to yell for Frederick. The knight appeared, and Dae handed Lissa off to him. “I’ll be back with Chrom.” It grated Dae to treat Lissa like an object to be looked after, but she was so young, and probably in shock from being attacked. Around the campfire, she told Dae that this was her first time going out with her brother and Frederick. It felt like a week had passed since then.

Dodging branches and hopping over tree roots, Dae retraced his steps, looking for Chrom’s midnight blue and silver armor. The pines roaring with flame were getting closer, too close. Dae finally spotted him. Chrom ran with his back to the flames like his life depended on it. His life  _ did _ depend on it.

Dae didn’t change course, still running toward Chrom, and the flames. His tome was ready. He could take ahold of Chrom and bound away, out of this blazing nightmare of a forest. The wind kicked up even stronger than before, hurrying the tongues of flame closer to Chrom’s back. 

Dae set himself on a collision course, and tackled Chrom. The impact knocked them both to a halt, but Dae used the surprise his actions brought upon Chrom as an opportunity. He began to speak the words of a wind incantation, and sprang backwards, away from the flame. His hold on Chrom was like an iron vice. His death would hurt Lissa as much as burning, if not more.

Dae wondered how silly he must have looked, running backwards with another man hugged to his chest and chanting words no normal person would understand. He wondered that until his back impacted a tree, causing him to scream for just a moment out of surprise. But, lo and behold, they were almost out of the forest. Chrom freed himself and began to run again, Dae flailing after him in a whirl of tired limbs.

Lissa latched onto Chrom as soon as she was able, thanking somebody who could only be a god for his safe return. Dae rested his wind tome back on his belt, and waited. Waited for somebody to suggest to move on, farther away from here. Lissa was hugging her brother, and he was speaking to Frederick. 

There were more disturbing sounds on the wind than just fire and trees falling. The groan of hideous things was faint, but not faint enough for Dae’s liking.

_ Hulking attackers, a spell gone wrong, hot blood sinking into dirt. _

“We have to go. We have to go quickly, right now.” Dae demanded, clutching his cloak tighter against the chill he felt.

The thump of running footsteps between the pines.

He should have spoken up sooner.

“Dae, look out!” Chrom drew his sword as Dae lunged forward. Danger came forth from the trees in the form of monstrous opponents. Dae hadn’t seen anything quite like these before. Frederick rushed forth also, attempting and succeeding in cutting down an oncoming attacker.

Dae’s eyes scanned the plane behind their group, looking for more threats. Could they have really been surrounded? Luckily, the answer was no. There was only one thing on the plane. A rider advancing upon their position.

Now wasn’t the time to worry about them.

"Frederick, take point! Chrom, watch his left!" Dae flung himself forward with his sword drawn, lunging for an opponent on Frederick's right. "Lissa, stay behind Frederick!" He cut off the thing's head in one sweep. It'd been so focused on Frederick that Dae went unnoticed.

Lissa was already running to and fro, using minor spells to augment her companions' skills. She was about to cast one on Dae. Her face held a kind of determination, even though there was fear in her eyes. 

_ The same eyes in different people. Sparkling amethyst. _

The spell filled him with energy, and he ran forward, viciously swinging at Frederick’s opponent as he passed, heading for a new adversary. He soon realized how  _ difficult _ it was to kill these opponents for good, and how many there were here. The task required several strikes that would be far overkill for a normal man, but Dae managed. Fighting beside Frederick felt good, familiar. It wasn’t long before he noticed that two new faces had joined the fray. One seemed to be the rider he’d witnessed earlier, coming full tilt to assist him. The other was an archer, who was effectively defending Chrom and protecting Lissa from a distance.

The rider was the one to finish off Dae’s opponent, their swing ending it all for the ghoul. It seemed to be one of the last adversaries of their ragtag band. Chrom and Frederick had the other two well in hand.

The rider looked down at Dae, “I’m Sully, one of Chrom’s shepherds, who’re you?”

“Dae. I’m going with Chrom to the capital. Sorry we had to meet like this.” Dae was about to wipe blood off his blade, but was shocked to find that the beasts left none behind.

“Nice sword work.” Sully grunted before trotting over to the rest of their group, who were assembling in the wake of battle, looking for injuries to tend.

Several minutes after that they left as a group; hightailing it across the plane and away from the blaze of the forest. Away from danger. 

The sounds of their disgusting opponents followed relentlessly, even though Dae could see nothing but the burning forest against the dark sky when he looked back. He scanned ahead of them in desperation; there was no telling how many beasts the gate had unleashed to kill them, or perhaps just to wreak havoc. 

"Chrom, we should head for those forts!" Dae's voice was a yell at best, not being able to catch enough breath to truly shout. The structures perhaps a quarter mile from them didn’t look absurdly defunct, and  _ any _ walls were better than none.

Their leader dropped back to run beside Dae, "They're in disrepair, war-torn- in bad condition." He was just as breathless.

"Better than being in the open, what if they're smart enough to have archers?" Dae had barely finished speaking when Chrom shouted to the rest of their group.

"Rally at the nearest fort!" 

Frederick immediately swung Lissa up onto his steed before speeding off as quickly as the animal could manage; Sully did the same with the archer at her side, and that meant Dae was left to manage Chrom. Recalling the incantation for the spell to cover ground quickly was made easier by the acute fear of what was behind him, and Dae pulled Chrom into yet another tight embrace to haul him to the fort. The structure was, as stated, crumbling and neglected. All told it was fairly intact, with the walls up and staircases in decent condition. The ramparts were damaged but likely traversable under the moonlight and stars.

Dae released Chrom immediately when they were through the gate's archway. "Archer, to the ramparts! Frederick and Sully to the inside of the gate, Chrom you'll have to watch their flanks. Lissa, you need to stay behind Frederick and Sully, and lend support however you can.  _ Nobody leave this structure _ ." It was instinct to shout orders as though he was in charge. Dae's mind raced, what he'd said so far was common sense, and if it was so simple then the enemy would be able to guess what was going on. How could the monsters counter? 

There was clearly only one way in or out. What if they had flyers- but no. Their archer could shoot them down or Dae would throw them from the sky with magic. Sheer numbers? Dae could fly Sully and her mount over the wall to run for help. Mages could be an issue if they had the power to demolish the fort wall, but that kind of spell needed a close proximity, not to mention stone would take more than one cast to blast through.

"-e. Dae? Are you with me?" Chrom was trying to gain his attention. 

Dae jogged himself back into the moment, "What's wrong?"

"What are you doing?" Chrom's voice had barely any tone outside of stress and his usual timbre.

Dae jolted, "Seeing what we're up against." With that, he was gone in a single leap. All the way from the ground to the space directly above the gate.

He could see perhaps twenty beasts coming for them at greatly varying speeds. He started to figure an exact number as best he could.

"I count twenty-two incoming!" Dae's shout was the best warning he could give before the first combatant met either Frederick or Sully. He jumped down to try and offer what assistance he could to the riders. Very few of the beasts got far enough for Dae or Chrom to dispatch, but Dae tried to handle some of the oncoming mass as the brunt of the hoard came through the archway. Ten of the beasts at once...

Dae jumped into combat immediately with his sword raised. Every time the blade clashed with the steel of an opposing weapon, there was a long, ringing note. It sounded somewhat like a tuning fork being struck. However, Dae had little time to contemplate it. He turned lances with magic, deflected axe arcs with his blade, and dispatched as many opponents as he could. After what felt like hours, the onslaught stopped entirely. 

He staggered back against the inner wall of the fortress with an immense relief, and heaviness in his limbs. It was a solid minute before Dae pushed off the wall and made his way to Chrom. Several minor injuries were being tended to by Lissa, but the Shepherd leader was scanning the inside of the fort as though he were still looking for combatants. Smart man.

“We need to go, now. Last time we waited and look where it got us.” Dae sounded exhausted, even to his own ears. Now that the rush of battle was gone the tiredness pulled at his limbs. It took far too long, for Dae's preference, to kill the oncoming beasts. “Another wave could be coming.”

Chrom rallied everyone around him, and Dae was impressed at how little he needed to speak to his Shepherds to make them understand what he wanted. In very little time they fled across the open plain under the moon and stars.

It was late in the night before they stopped for rest, and Dae nearly collapsed a few times before then. At points, Sully or Frederick would give up their mount for Dae or Lissa to take a rest. They slept within sight of the capital city, Frederick, Sully, and the archer Virion taking watches. Dae woke almost every hour, having short, restless sleeping periods. His dreams were filled with hulking beasts and screams. His own voice shouting for people to run, get back. Stepping in front of a young man with blond hair. Defending the boy at all costs. A fighting partner with a blurry face, flung against a tree and killed instantly.

After a few nightmares, he didn’t want to sleep anymore.   
  



	3. Of Ties that Bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to find someone that was lost. One of many.

The morning didn’t come fast enough for Dae, sleep deprived as he was. The group skipped a cold breakfast of mixed rations in favor of a hot meal inside Ylisstol. The thought of buying food made Dae pat his pockets, checking for money. The bakers that he’d saved from death insisted on giving him  _ something _ , and slid ten gold coins his way. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. Ten gold bits seemed like a lot. Then again, Dae had no idea how the currency in this country worked.

As their small party gathered their respective gear, Chrom approached Dae. “So, are you remembering anything?”

Dae grimaced, “Bits of people. Flashes of blond hair, a battle, instructing...somebody. Maybe I was a teacher.” He sighed and plucked a blade of grass from Chrom’s hair without thinking about it, continuing to straighten the other man’s shirt and move onto Lissa. She was struggling. “Your hair is out of order, let me fix it.” Chrom looked after him in surprise, the only one who had ever adjusted his clothes so forcefully was his older sister.

“Oh! Thank you, it’s so tangled. All that running and fighting last night really messed it up.” The lady held her shimmering hair piece in her hand, and was trying to use the other to pull out her hair tails. Dae ran his fingers through each clump of tangled strands, smoothing them out. 

“Lissa. Liii-sssah. Lee-sah. Your name reminds me of something.” Dae chatted, taking down both of Lissa’s hair ribbons to retie them more securely.

“Well, maybe you knew somebody with a name like mine? Keep saying it, that could help. You said it differently the last time.” She sounded hopeful, gentle curls swaying as the turned with a smile to look at her companion.

_ A small hand in his, leading. Her mixed colored curls bouncing.  _

_ Black and pink nightgown. A bedtime story. _

“Lisa. Lease.” Something clicked, “Elise. I new a child named Elise. Her hair was blond just like yours.” His voice broke, her face was forming in his mind. Smiling, carefree, hugging him tight in spite of her small frame.

“Dae! That’s great to hear!” Lissa spun around, only one tail on the side of her head, “Chrom!” She called out to her brother with joy in her voice.

He strode over almost without hesitation, previously talking to Sully. His armor clinked at his long stride, one paultron shining in the dawn light. “Lissa?”

“Dae remembers something. Somebody. Someone named Elise with blond hair.” Lissa took her second ribbon from Dae’s newly shaking hands, and put up the other half of her hair. “Isn’t that great? Maybe he has a family, maybe we can find them!”

Chrom’s hand clapped Dae’s shoulder, “That  _ is _ great news! Maybe if we wait for some odd days you’ll remember somebody else, every single thing that comes back is a clue. If you have a family, we’ll find them.” He seized Dae’s hand, leading him forward. “But, in the meantime, this is our capital city, Ylisstol. The Exalt lives here, and the Shepherds’ base lies within. Also breakfast.”

“Well, breakfast sounds good. I think I can buy my own. I don’t know how the economy works here.” Dae clutched Chrom’s hand for the physical contact. Everything felt like a dream. Elise’s face was set in his head, burning. Her smile was like a flash of lightning at midnight. Bright, all consuming.

“Ah, I’ll explain that while we walk to the gates. They open when the sun clears the horizon, there’s no rush.” Chrom waxed poetic about the currency system in Yillese, it was as if he’d taken pains to memorize laws and trade practices. He was well spoken, even graceful at points, it crossed Dae’s mind that he’d probably been tutored on it. The leader of a peacekeeping force would need to know the law of this land well. Dae, on his half of the conversation, was equally well spoken, matching Chrom’s eloquence at every step. Even shaken as he was, Dae’s manners didn’t leave his mind.

While he walked, Dae admired the bright dawn skyline. It silhouetted the capital city wonderfully, and something about the image entranced him. It was unfamiliar, welcome, and beautiful. Even the sturdy gates to the capital city were ornate, matching what Dae could see of the castle peaks. The Exalt lived in a grand city, bright and filled with lively people. They bustled back and forth, some greeting Chrom or Lissa with low bows. It made Dae wonder just how prestigious being a Shepherd must be. After all, it seemed more like Chrom and his companions were renowned peacekeepers.

Chrom marched their group through the market, on a course for the castle way. Dae’s eye was caught by one of the market stalls, however. He’d released Chrom some time ago, and had dropped back to the end of their group.

_ The giggle of a girl years younger than himself. Slicing chunks of fruit for her, sneaking a few himself. Studying together. Dance lessons. _

“Excuse me, miss. What could I pay you for one of your apples?” Dae broke off of his group to address the woman manning the market stall selling fruits. 

“Ah, good morning, Sir. One gold piece for an apple, four pieces for five apples.” She paused her work in setting up another display to attend her customer with a smile, “Sour Green or Sweet Red?”

Dae fished for a gold piece in his pouch, aware of the fast march of his companions. “Sour Green, please.” She nodded to him and snatched up a green apple, dunking it into a previously unnoticed barrel of water to rinse it off before drying it on her apron. Upon taking her money, she waved and spoke lightly “Have a pleasant day with Prince Chrom!”

Dae was already walking to catch up with his group when his mind registered what she’d said. “Prince Chrom.”  _ That _ could explain why he was the  _ Leader _ of the Shepherds. It could also justify his high education, knowledge of the law, and reverence of the capital’s people.

Pondering this, he caught up with Lissa.

“You like apples?” She seemed to stare at all the goings on in the market at once, and with great interest, “I noticed you stop at a stall.”

“I do, Elise did too. When I saw the stall, I had a little bit of a memory come back. Sharing snacks in between her afternoon lessons. She liked sour apples.” Dae rolled the fruit in his hand, the other reaching for a small belt knife. He carved off a slice and offered it to Lissa, “Want a bite?”

She accepted, crunching loudly on the apple, which was obviously fresh as could be. Dae bit down on another slice, savoring the familiar, crisp noise. He ended up sharing most of the apple with lissa, and let her feed the core to Frederick’s mount. It made a noise, and Lissa seemed to take that as a good sign, patting the horse before dropping back to walk with Dae again. He slowed his pace slighty, remembering, vaguely, Elise’s kindness. Lissa’s smile was heart wrenching, inspiring him to smile back. 

“Hey, Dae! Look up there.” Lissa pointed far up the street, to a contingent of guards. “Emm, err, the exalt is in the center.” Lissa’s eyes shined, “She’s graceful and beautiful, kind and wonderful. She’s the best sister in the world.”

“So she has siblings?” Dae wiped his belt knife on the back of his leg, temporarily cleaning it.

“Yeah! Chrom and I.” Lissa paused, “He didn’t want to surprise you since you’ve been through a lot, but keeping you in the dark seems so wrong.”

Dae paused, rolling around in his head the thought of dragging Chrom through the burning forest last night. He’d saved the life of a prince, albeit oddly. Watching the Exalt and her contingent on their way back to the castle, he said “It’s kind of you to tell me against your brother’s wishes. Let us hope that he will hold no grudge for it.” Gears and cogs turned in his head, raising his standard of speech to befit that of royalty, rather than an educated soldier.

“Grudge? He would never! Chrom and I are siblings, we love each other and Em.” Lissa seemed offended that Dae would assume anything negative about her brother.

“I see. I’m sorry for insinuating and upsetting you.” Dae straightened his jacket, attempting to do so without overly attracting attention. He was already in the presence of royalty, and he probably smelled as sweaty as he felt, not to mention reeking of wood smoke. This wouldn’t do. Not at all. But, he still had pride, manners, and bravado on his side. Three intricate weapons of noble blood. “I’m sure some royal families are not so kind, hence my concern for you.”

It was several more minutes before Chrom led their party into a tavern, Sully and Frederick taking extra time to tie their mounts outside. Inside, Chrom and the archer, Virion, were pushing two tables together, Lissa and the barmaid relocating chairs for their larger group. Seeing no place for more help, Dae looked at the blackboard menu. The tavern was excellently kept. Floors and tables spotless, a bar at the back with a smiling, burly man. Even the servers seemed pleasant, bustling to and fro in the dining room.

Dae was interrupted by a smooth, low tone, “Sit across from me, won’t you?” Virion’s voice, though seldom heard by Dae in their brief travel together, was very pleasant to hear. This man looked no worse for the wear, even after roughing it last night, and fighting before that. His smile was earnest, perhaps joyful at the company.

“It would be my pleasure.” Dae maneuvered into the spot suggested, taking a moment to pull Lissa’s chair out for her. 

Chrom stayed standing long enough for Frederick and sully to come and take their seats. “Everyone, this is on the Shepherd’s tab. A reward for battling so excellently on the forest’s edge.” 

The meal and chatter were both excellent, and Dae’s nerves recovered from the shock of remembering Elise. He watched as Virion flirted with the bar staff, men and women alike. Though the archer quickly ended his pursuit if the other party did not reciprocate. The male servers seemed to like the attention, at least. In between bouts of romantic ventures, Virion was a wellspring of information for Dae. Politics, minor geography, courtly affairs, he seemed excited to talk about anything and everything relating to the topics at hand. 

After leaving the tavern, the sun was high in the sky. They’d probably spent the better part of two hours inside. Sully and Virion split off after a word with Chrom, apparently going directly to the Shepherd base. It seemed the rest of their group was going to meet with the Exalt. Dae was not looking forward to it. He tossed up mental barriers, thinking of polite things to say and small chatter to make, if it came to that. Royalty was more dangerous than any monster in the dark. At least a monster’s intentions were apparent from the start. Royalty made maneuvers in a life long game of nations, and an action which seemed insignificant at the time could turn into a massive movement in the game. 

Lissa had made her sister sound kind, and worthy of the people’s love. The Exalt certainly had the devotion of her siblings. How much power did she hold over them? Would they follow her orders no matter what? It was practically dangerous to be in Dae’s situation; going to meet a ruler of the country he’d been in for less than three days.

Dae didn’t want to meet the Exalt.

Their small party climbed up the castle steps, and Dae watched doors open or guards clear the way for Prince Chrom, and Princess Lissa. Frederick followed behind his lord and lady, mount having been handed off earlier. The royal pair walked with light steps, obviously excited. Frederick was subdued, but alert in his own way, head moving slightly in scans of the areas they passed through. Dae made an effort of remembering their route through the massive building, in case he had to escape it. He wasn’t nervous, persay, but cautious. Chrom and Lissa had proved themselves kind, at face value at least. The Exalt might not share their opinions on taking a complete stranger into their midst.

If worse came to worst he could always shatter the nearest window and jump through with a wind spell. Or blast through a few doors.

The throne room was, as Dae expected, immaculate. Marble floors shone in the light let in by high windows, tapestries bearing various house crests hung from the ceiling, and upon the throne itself sat the Exalt. They rose with the grace of a godly figure, and practically flew down the steps in front of the throne. They wore a plain white dress, with a green cloak, their slippered feet didn’t make a sound on the marble slabs.

“Chrom, Lissa, are you well? I received word last night of the town set upon by bandits. The report said that your party, and a stranger, fought for the town.” The Exalt’s hands laid upon the shoulder of her brother, and the other pulled young Lissa close.

“We’re fine, Emm, and the stranger’s name is Dae.” Chrom put his hand over hers and moved for the Exalt to see Dae.

Dae immediately knelt in respect, “Your perfection,” he said as a greeting. By all standards he should have been kneeling already, but this meeting seemed too informal for that.

“Oh, please, stand. A friend of my brother’s is a friend of the Halidom.” Her gentle hand was extended for Dae to take and rise. 

He did, and said with a grateful tone, “My thanks, your perfection.” She was beautiful, much more so up close. Her smile was radiant, her garb simple but elegant. Her hair’s curls made Dae’s stomach turn, but he forced down the feeling and smiled at the Exalt. So far, she seemed immeasurably kind.  _ So far. _

“But now that you’ve met the newest addition to the shepherd’s ranks, we have more important matters to discuss. We’d best summon the war council.” Chrom’s tone turned grim, and Dae could only guess that it was time to introduce the Exalt to the existence of strange monsters in the burned forest.

Lissa hugged her sister, “See you later Em, it’s so good to be back home.” Dae realized that Lissa and her sister shared the same radiance of expression, but Lissa’s was more raw, unrefined, joyous. The Exalt radiated a quiet peace.

“I love you, Lissa, make sure you’re not late for supper tonight.” the Exalt held her sister close for but a fleeting moment before releasing her, letting the younger sister go. Lissa seemed reluctant to move, but she did after a fraction of a second. 

“Dae, you should meet the other Shepherds, let’s go.” Lissa clasped Dae’s hand in hers, walking away from her sister with a mix of joyous and somber feelings. The walk was not long, and Lissa chatted through it. “Virion was the newest Shepherd, before you came. He’s from a far away place, but doesn’t like to talk about it much. You’ve met Sully, she’s amazing and strong, and good at hunting. Then there’s my best friend Maribelle, she’s beautiful, and is the daughter of one of the noble houses bordering Plegia.” They walked into a rather large section of the castle, and then through a few dozen corridors to a double set of wooden doors. “This is the common room, Sully should have assembled everyone she can in here. You’ll meet anybody that’s missing later at dinner. Ready?”

Dae blinked, that was the first time anybody had asked if he was  _ ready _ for something in the past few days. He decided to be honest, “No, but I’ll be fine. I hope to make a much better impression later when I’m clean.”

“That’s the spirit! They’ll all be sweaty and stuff too, since we run training drills during the morning.” Lissa pushed open one of the doors and let Dae pass through.

He froze.

Blue hair, long, flowing. Tired eyes and a face that was always contemplative. How could he have forgotten her? A woman in clothing much like his own stood in the room, staring at him with eyes so wide they might fall out of her skull. And then there was running. Dae sprinted forward as she did the same, dropping something in the process that clanged to the ground.

“Dae! You’re alive. Oh thank the gods you’re alive.” Her voice was a cry of raw emotion.

“I forgot you! I can’t believe I forgot you.” Dae was tackled by the woman with blue hair, and fell to the ground. They both scrambled up, kneeling in front of one another. She held his shoulders in a grip strong enough to shatter bone, and he hung onto her coat as though she might disappear if he let go. How could he have forgotten his sister? They were the same age, inseparable for all their lives. Fate bound them together, as did their friendship.

Bea started to cry. “I thought we would never see each other again. I was so lost until Maribelle found me. I’ve missed you so much! You’re the only one I remember.”

“Bea I barely know what my  _ own _ name is, but seeing you...something clicked. I know you!” Dae brushed away her tears with a kerchief that was handed to him by Lissa.

“That solves one mystery, then.” A woman in pink garb stated, coming closer and laying a hand on Bea’s shoulder, “Come now, darling, you shouldn’t shed tears in front of others.”

“You’re right Mari,” Bea took the kerchief and wiped her own eyes, “I’m sorry.”

Another person chimed in, a man without a shirt, “See, didn’t Teach tell ya’ that he’d turn up?”

Bea rose, and Dae followed her example. “Thank you, Vaike. Your confidence is invaluable.” She cleared her throat, “This is my twin brother, Dae, the one I’ve been searching for.”

A few of the assembled people gave light claps and all of them smiled. Lissa seemed puzzled at best, “What happened while we were away?”

**Author's Note:**

> Pairings to be determined, updates sporadically.


End file.
